The Kansas City Public Library welcomes Reid Day and Elizabeth Warwick as the two newest members of the Board of Trustees – and thanks outgoing board members Denesha Snell and Billie Howard Barnes for their years of service.

“It’s with tremendous gratitude,” says Board President Pete Browne, “that we say goodbye to two outstanding trustees, Denesha and Billie.”

Denesha Snell began her service in 2020 to the Library – just one part of a larger commitment to her hometown, as it is for most trustees. A graduate of the Paseo Academy of the Fine and Performing Arts, she later earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Tennessee State University and Rockhurst University, respectively.

Snell has held a range of positions, including serving as the public information officer for the Kansas City Health Department and director of programs for Show Me KC Schools.

Today, she continues in her roles as a consultant designing community-facing programs for organizations and as the program manager for American Public Square.

Billie Howard Barnes has spent a remarkable 18 years on the Board of Trustees.

An award-winning fourth-grade teacher, Barnes also serves on the board of DeLaSalle Education Center and the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA). She’s a graduate of Spelman College and earned a master’s degree from the University of Kansas.

Reid Day and Elizabeth Warwick, who also each come from community-oriented backgrounds, stepped into their Library roles on February 20.

Day serves as Mayor Quinton Lucas’ deputy chief of staff and resides in Brookside with his wife and young daughter. Warwick is an instructional coach at James Elementary School in historic Northeast Kansas City. Please click here for full bios.

“We’re very much looking forward to learning from Reid and Elizabeth,” says Board President Pete Browne. “Their work for the city and in our schools will be invaluable to the Board of Trustees during the Library’s sesquicentennial year and beyond.”

The Library is governed by a nine-member board. The mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, appoints seven members; the mayors of Independence and Sugar Creek, Missouri, appoint one member each, and they – most often – serve four-year terms.